Daffodils came in with a trumpet, and now its time for tulips to arrive center stage. I also took my first flowerbox shots a pretty combination of boxwood, ranunculus and ivey. Simple, just greens and creams, but a beautiful effect. Next week I will be over in Brownstone Brooklyn, where the flowerboxes are already brimming with life look for the slideshow!
More resources for the planter and flowerbox starters:
Last week, Trillium mentioned the Lee Valley self-watering seed starter, which looks perfect for a small group of herbs for the kitchen.
For those of you that are tidy and may not have a large working space, please consider peat pellets. They are the size of an Alka Seltzer tablet and expand to fill a small seedling container. They are clean – you just add water and let them expand – and are said to help with a higher germination rate. I am currently using these to grow sweat peas and they are fantastic. They also eliminate the potential mess from a bag of soil.
As for seed quality, the packets from the stands at the store have been hit-or-miss. My Home Depot seeds have had a low germination rate. Paying a little more for quality seeds truly does pay off in the long-run. The other week I mentioned Select Seeds. The seeds I received from them have done beautifully with almost 100 percent success. Another great company that emphasizes quality control and preserving heirloom varieties is Victory Seeds. I also have had much success from -surprise- small seed growers on eBay, which is also where you can get deals on peat pellets. - Matt N.
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These gorgeous photos remarkably capture the generous beauty flowers offer the world. Thank you.
And thanks for the peat pellets tip, eBay, hmmm, wouldn't have tried it for gardening supplies.
oooo peat pellets - interesting
Matt, I hope you have some recon in Brownstone Brooklyn, 'cause my part of it (North/Center Slope) is not yet popping.
The cherries around the pond in the BBG sure are!
The Martha Stewart Kmart seeds were pretty great - although I had easy stuff like nasturiums and morning glories. I don't know if they are available this year.
My parsley has sprouted . . .
Do you peeps on the right coast have local seed companies? Here in the Northwest, one of my favorites is Territorial Seed Co., because they test and then sell only seeds that do really well in our climate. And I've used seeds that were 4 years old and only had a small drop in viability. Hmmm, is asking about climate on a site devoted to small apt living silly? Another seed company I like is Seeds of Change. They offer lots of really cool, less well known herbs.
regards,
trillium
Hey guys! I found that Lee Valley actually offers about the best price on these pellets. I have 200 coming in the mail. I am going to try growing anemone from seed. The seeds are so unbelievably tiny, though.
Trillium, I will definitely look at those seed companies, I am always on the lookout for something new. And I do respect seed companies that are trying to preserve strong seed lines. Select Seeds is in the Northeast, I think, but I think what might be the really rewarding is exchanging with local gardeners through Garden Web. I have nothing to exchange right now, though, but look forward to trying at some point.
Yes, Park Slope. Let's just say they have the other neighborhoods beat when it comes to having the green thumbs.
anemone field trip:
on the road that runs parallel to the river in Rhinebeck NY
there is an anemone farm
they have a walkin cooler where you can
buy bunches of the fleurs
leave your $ in the coffee can
Park Slope is Not Yet Pretty, Matt
(seriously)
Oh, if you want to go to the grandma of sorta political (in a good way) seed saving and exchange, check out Seed Savers. And I just checked their website and they sell seeds online now. Woohoo!
Lee Valley is a really great company, their prices are fair, their customer service is excellent, and I love the reprints of old hobby books that they print. For a while, they also sold antique Sabatier knivers. On a more AT bent, they also sell lots of quality cab hardware, and corner lazy susan type things for inside your corner cabs.
regards,
trillium